The exemplary embodiments of the present invention generally relate to door hinges. More particularly, the exemplary embodiments relate to appliances with energy absorbing door hinges.
Generally, a conventional appliance with a horizontally hinged door, such as a stove, is anchored to a wall or floor by an anti-tip bracket to prevent the appliance from tipping when a load is applied to an open door of the appliance. An alternate concept described in prior art, but not widely used on appliance door hinges, are a break-away feature such that when a predetermined load is applied to the door when the door in an open position, the door is allowed to rotate past the open position with little or no resistance until the door contacts the floor or other stopping surface. While this break-away feature aids in preventing the appliance from tipping it may cause damage to the door, the floor or the user of the appliance. A load suddenly applied to the appliance door that exceeds a threshold load for operating the break-away feature may cause the door to accelerate to the floor. If the load is a utensil containing hot liquid, the accelerating nature of the door may cause undesired splashing or spilling of the utensil contents. As such, no commercial or residential ranges currently use break-away type hinges. Anti-tip brackets remain an industry standard.
The requirements for meeting static door loading, while in an open position, for foreseeable suddenly applied loads and preventing appliance tip over without the use of an anti-tip bracket involves a narrow performance range in which it is impractical to have a robust hinge design.